Epiphany
by AllyCatXandi
Summary: Gwendal/Anissina, onesided!Wolfram/Yuuri. What happens when Anissina finds herself yet again with an unwanted, impending interview for marriage?


Anissina von Karbelnikoff was angry. Not just angry – _livid. _So livid in fact, that she had taken it upon herself to storm around Blood Pledge Castle in a fury in order to personally ensure that everyone was just as upset as she was. Just morning she had received a message via messenger dove from Densham, her father having opted to take the cowardly but nonetheless wise option of not sending it himself. Even after turning over control of the family area over to his son, it was clear the man still held a substantial amount of influence in regards to management. After all, who else could have possibly come up with the idea that she, Crimson Anissina, the Poison Woman, ought to marry some ridiculous someone-von-something from halfway across the kingdom?

It was ludicrous and she was quite simply sick to death of having to drive away potential fiancé after potential fiancé. Anissina furrowed her eyebrows. Perhaps there was a machine that could be used to do the job for her, an "I'm Not Going to Marry You So Go Away"-kun. No, inventing that would take time she didn't have.

It appeared the only logical solution to avoid matrimony was to commit suicide.

Or rather, _pretend _to. Had there not been an unfortunate series of interruptions the last time something like this had come up, Anissina was sure her little concoction would have worked just fine. Stupid Gwendal was always getting in her way, although granted, he did manage to get her out of that particularly nasty engagement. Now that the _just friends _nature of their relationship had been revealed, the irritating swarm of potential husbands and wives had bubbled up once more. Too bad none of them would ever have her.

Anissina was a proud woman. She had worked far too long and hard to be reduced to some snivelling housewife! She was going to revolutionize the world with her science, not wait upon some boorish husband over twice her age! There were far better things she could be doing with her time, and the redheaded young mazoku knew it. How dare they even make the suggestion that she marry? It was almost insulting. No, it _was _insulting.

"Right," she stated tersely, marching straight into the garden where the king and his daughter were playing. To the right she caught a glimpse of Wolfram, watching over the two protectively and turned to face him. "Would you by any chance know where that good for nothing brother of yours is?"

Before the young man had the chance to answer, little Greta ran up to her. "Is something wrong?" the girl asked with brown eyes full of concern.

Anissina forced a smile to her face. "No, nothing at all, dearie," she managed in a strained voice. "I'm just having a little trouble with an, erm, suitor."

Greta's eyes widened. "You mean like the mean scary ones that the Great Anissina defeats?" she questioned, recalling a number of bedtime stories told by the sapphire-eyed woman, all featuring the same heroine defeating the filth of the world one villain at a time. "I wonder if I'll ever get married…" she pondered aloud.

"No! Absolutely not!" Yuuri came up behind Greta and placed both hands on her shoulders, instantly springing into overprotective father mode. "You are not going to get married! In fact, I forbid you from spending time with any boys your age- especially that brat who wound you up in trouble last time!"

"Oh…" Greta looked at her shoes for a moment, before perking up again. "That's okay! I'll marry Beatrice then!"

The audible sound of Yuuri hitting his forehead echoed throughout the garden. Even the elderly man who had been pruning the hedges looked over. "No Greta, you can't marry Beatrice, that's -"

"That's _what, _wimp?" growled Wolfram. "I thought we'd moved past this Earth nonsense. We have, haven't we?" he asked, eyes narrowing dangerously.

Yuuri gulped. "C-calm down Wolf, that's not what I was going to say!" he replied hurriedly. "I was trying to tell Greta that just because Uncle Waltrona says something's a good idea, doesn't mean she has to do it."

Somewhat appeased by the answer, Wolfram crossed his arms. "Greta, your uncle cares only about politics. Don't listen to a word he says." The blonde mazoku crouched down until he was face to face with his daughter. "Marry whoever makes you happy, alright? Marry someone you love." He looked up to smile at his fiancé.

Said fiancé was now rather uncomfortable. The entire engagement he had with Wolfram had been the result of cultural ignorance. How was he to know striking a noble's left cheek was a form of proposal? Yuuri smiled awkwardly. "That's right Greta. You should marry someone you love." That was an opportunity he himself would probably never have, not with the over protective and excessively possessive Wolfram watching his every move. There went his chances of ever having a girlfriend. Yuuri didn't love Wolfram and the latter could sense it. But the unwilling fiancé wouldn't cheat – he was better than that. Even if he didn't love Wolfram, he wasn't going to crush him.

"Even if it's Rinji-kun?" Greta piped up, knocking Yuuri out of his thoughts and into reality.

"Anyone _except _Rinji-kun," the king corrected himself. He would rather have to suffer through dinners with bald, shiny-headed in laws than have his daughter married to that rascal.

Under any other circumstances, Anissina would have found the family scene rather heart warming but right now there were far more pressing matters on her mind. Figuring they wouldn't notice much if she left, the mazoku woman continued on the search for her childhood friend. She'd ransacked every corner of her mind for a solution to the predicament she'd found herself in and had come up with nothing. Having long since lost the bottle of potion that would send her into a false death and with only two hours until the potential husband was to arrive at the castle, Anissina was scrambling for ideas.

At the very least, she should talk to Gwendal. Abusing him always had a therapeutic effect on her, even during their younger years.

Much to her surprise, she found him in his chambers. At this hour the green-haired gentleman was on a typical day working hard behind a pile of paperwork trying to prevent war from breaking out with human countries, not sitting on his bed knitting intensely. Anissina sat down next to him, whipping a crochet hook out of her sleeve and prodding his cheek. "You missed a stich!" she exclaimed. "You're hopeless!" It was frustrating that despite her efforts to teach him and despite the practice he put in, Gwendal had only marginally improved his knitting skills from since before his voice broke.

"At least I'm not getting married," the man replied sourly. "Just please don't destroy the castle again trying to avoid it."

That one hit a nerve. "Well _excuse me _for not having a choice!" she snapped, standing up and facing him directly. "Do you think I _want _this, Gwendal? I have far more to offer this kingdom than services as a…" she grimaced, unable to finish the sentence. "Who do you think runs this castle when you're all away? Who do you think keeps this place from falling apart? That's right Lord Gwendal von Voltaire, I do."

"I know, Anissina, I know." Was that…pain? No, it couldn't be. She must be hearing things.

"- and if I was _going _to get married," she continued, "it would have to be someone who my age, for one thing. It would have to be someone I knew and that I could trust, someone who wouldn't treat me like a cook or cleaner! Someone who has and always will give me the respect I deserve!" Anissina was raging now, not particularly noticing that she was speaking at and not to the man in front of her. "How can anyone expect me to just drop my whole life to marry a complete stranger?" she continued angrily. But somehow, behind her fury, pieces were slowly slipping together in her mind. Things that she had overlooked before were obvious now, making sense out of what she would have considered absurd at a first glance.

Gwendal remained silent. Anissina took this as her cue to continue. "I can't believe Densham thinks this is a good idea too. I am Anissina von Karbelnikoff; I don't _need _to get married! I'm far from lacking in money or status. The only reason I can possibly see that would make me even a little inclined to the idea would be if I actually loved them."

What she did next didn't feel like a snap decision. It was like a decision she had made years ago, which had only now been brought to the surface. "And you know what?" she said, taking a swift stride forwards. "That's exactly what I'm going to do."

And she struck him cleanly across the face.

OWARI


End file.
